City Planning Director Ramiro Gonzalez Becomes the Face of the Proposed Parking Meter Increase

Mayor Tony Martinez

Much like a military general sending his troops to the front lines while orchestrating the strategy far removed from battle, Mayor Tony Martinez has selected City Planning Director Ramiro Gonzalez as the point man for selling the taxpayers on the idea of tripling parking rates downtown. 

At the last City Commission meeting January 7, before the scheduled second reading of the parking meter ordinance change and the vote for approval, things seemed to inexplicably stall. Agenda item 4C, involving changes in the ordinance regarding parking meters, was pulled from out of the group of consent agenda items destined for routine approval.  

Martinez placed City Manager Charlie Cabler in charge of a town meeting to sort out the issue after an older gentleman(Abraham Galonsky?) approached the mayor and Commissioner Rose Gowen prior to the meeting:  "We'd like to have a town hall meeting to reflect other ideas. . . . . .  Mr. Cabler, as City Manager, I would like you to set up a town hall meeting, doing it in a form that legal will deem appropriate, doing it within the next two weeks and we'll see what comes out of that meeting. . . . . I'm going to be out of town." Interestingly, with no definite date set for the meeting, the mayor already knew he would be "out of town," but, as we wrote above, generals seldom expose themselves to risk on the front lines.

City Planner Ramiro Gonzalez

Interviewed on Brownsville's channel 12 and by the Brownsville Herald, Comprehensive Planning Manager Ramiro Gonzalez has become the face of the proposed parking meter increase.  He's been quoted as saying that tripling parking fees downtown will "create more spaces," because it will eliminate the customer or downtown employee who simply "feeds quarters" all day long and will "turn" that space over for the next customer.  

We ran into Gonzalez and an associate, described by the City of Brownsville website as "Planner II," Roman McAllen, last Monday as they exited the city annexed El Tapiz building on the way to lunch.  Both men believe what they've read about the parking meter issue.

"Jim, I wish you could read a study I have on my desk," Ramiro started.  "It shows that an increase in parking fees will create more spaces downtown.  Those monies then can be used for downtown revitalization."

When asked if there was a specific use in mind for the new revenue, Gonzalez offered:  "Well, actually, it will go toward new parking meters, those that will allow a credit card to be swiped. This is the way cities across the country are doing it now."

Gonzalez and McAllen, both confident, bordering on cocky, young men in their early 30's, may have some difficulty empathizing with struggling downtown business owners who will be adversely affected by the tripling of parking fees.  Both men enjoy the perk of free parking downtown, know exactly to the penny, how much salary they will draw on a given day.  

Downtown business owners do not have that luxury, instead focusing on selling enough $5.99 Chicken Mole' lunch specials, shoes, shirts, toys or Natural Light Beer to stay in business yet another month.  While Ramiro Gonzalez contends the dozen or so clubs and businesses closing in downtown Brownsville the last two months was due to "bad management," it's obvious this business scene is hurting badly.  

My friends, the Humberto Lozano family, who recently opened the Tequilas Restaurant and Cantina this August at 9th and Adams St., invested heavily in their downtown business. With parking meters on Adams St., 9th and in the lot on the west side of their restaurant, the Lozanos are critically aware of how a tripling of the meter rates could effect their business, adding as much as 25% to a lunch plate, as well as the anxiety of a $10.00 or $15.00 fine to a customer who lingers over their meal.  

MMB, Rosa, Humberto Lozano

Ms. Lozano inboxed me yesterday with her concerns:
  
Hello! Mr Barton...This is Ms Lozano from Tequilas Restaurant.. downtown.. I was wondering.. by any chance do you know when the commissioners will have another meeting about the parking meters? ..Because we the small businesses will be the most affected..They want us to invest downtown.. and we haven't received any kind of help from them...that's how they supposed to help us? Can you believe that we are so disappointed because every time they want our vote we were there for them.

The Lozanos are among the hardest working people in Brownsville with a restaurant, auto repair business and a used car dealership, all family run. They are not merely taking up parking spaces downtown.  It would be almost criminal to so drastically alter the parking ordinance without at least considering the effect it will have on families like this one.